PDC World Championship - Match Reports 3. Day, Afternoon
Jelle Klaasen 3:1 Peter Wright
(3-0, 3-0, 1-3, 3-1)
Jelle Klaasen secured his first televised victory for almost 18 months in the first round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with an excellent 3-1 triumph over Peter Wright.
The former Lakeside Champion romped through the first two sets by winning six consecutive legs and although Wright took the third he sealed victory in the next to send the Lowestoft ace out of the competition.
The match began with both players missing chances to win the opening leg before Klaasen took it on double top. Wright was off-target with another dart at double top in the second, and Klaasen made him pay by landing double 16 to lead 2-0. Wright, who was defeated by Phil Taylor in last year's competition, hit a 180 in the third leg but missed four more darts at doubles and Klaasen hit a 100 checkout - finished on double 16 - to seal the first set.
The beginning of the second set followed the pattern of the first as Klaasen capitalised on more missed doubles from Wright to take the first leg and then won the next with a clinical 119 checkout. The Dutchman fired a 180 in the third leg and went on to win it by hitting double 16 to leave Wright two sets down and without a leg to his name.
After 11 missed darts at doubles, Wright was finally successful with his twelfth attempt to make a winning start to the third set before Klaasen levelled courtesy of a 120 finish. Wright hit double ten to take the third leg and the fourth also fell in favour of the Scottish-born star as he hit double eight with his third dart to take the set.
Wright posted double top to win the first leg of the fourth set before the 2006 Lakeside Champion hit double five with his third dart to take the second. Klaasen then secured a vital break of throw to take third leg by hitting double top, and an accurate dart at double 16 sealed an excellent win for the Dutchman.
"I've been trying different darts to improve my game and it hasn't really worked for me," admitted Klaasen. "Peter was off-target with his doubles in the first two sets and that allowed me to gain confidence. "I still feel that I will have to play a lot better in my next match but I am delighted with today's win."
Christian Perez 4:0 Dietmar Burger
Christian Perez progressed to a first round clash against Alan Tabern courtesy of a whitewash victory over Austria's Dietmar Burger in the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship preliminary round.
Perez, playing in the World Championship for the second time in three years, made a good start to the match by breaking his opponent's throw with a 110 checkout and then hit double top to increase his lead to 2-0. Burger struggled to find any kind of form on the big stage and missed two darts at doubles in the third leg as Perez took the chance to pull further away by hitting double top for the second time. The Austrian missed a dart at double 17 to keep the match alive in leg four and Perez completed a comfortable win by landing double ten.
Steve Farmer 3:2 Ronnie Baxter
(3-0, 2-3, 2-3, 3-1, 3-1) Steve Farmer came from 2-1 down to claim an excellent five-set victory over Ronnie Baxter in the first round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship.The 46-year-old from Telford won the first five legs of the match as he took the first set and moved to within touching distance of the second, but lost six of the next eight as Baxter took command.
Farmer, though, showed his renewed stamina following a recent fitness regime to win the final two sets 3-1 and condemn Baxter to a first round defeat at the World Championship for the first time in five years.
"When I drew Ronnie I knew it was a tough draw but my plan to win the first set and build on that," said Farmer. "Ronnie's a legend and such a solid player but when I got the first set I grew in belief. I had a little bit of luck and although I didn't make it easy for myself, it's fantastic to win. "I used to run out of stamina but I've been doing a lot of running - I'm doing a couple of seven mile runs a week and would like to do the London Marathon, although that would take some doing - and in the deciding set I proved that it's working. "I've been practising hard and getting into shape, but I'll treat myself to Christmas dinner now - and no pudding - and look forward to the second round."
Farmer broke Baxter's throw in the opening leg by hitting double top and then repeated the trick to win the second. The third leg saw Baxter miss two darts at double 18 and Farmer hit tops for the third consecutive leg to win the first set comfortably.
Farmer, playing at Alexandra Palace for the second time, made a positive start to set two by hitting double three to win the first leg and then took out 86 to win the second. Baxter finally got on the board by hitting a 98 finish to win the third leg after Farmer missed double top to take the set and double his lead.
Baxter managed to hit double top to win the fourth leg and hit the same bed with a pressure third dart to level the match at one set apiece. Farmer won the first leg of the third set against the darts with a 79 finish, but Baxter broke straight back by hitting double 18 at the first time of asking. Farmer claimed another break of throw by taking out 85 to win the third leg, but Baxter secured the fourth by landing double top. Baxter had advantage of throw in the deciding leg and he made it count by landing double six to lead the match for the first time.
Farmer started the fourth set with a 102 checkout before Baxter took the second in 13 darts, which included scores of 177 and 174. Farmer won the third leg with a 14-dart finish before winning the fourth against the darts by landing double three to force a deciding set.
Farmer began the final set well by breaking throw to win the first leg and took the next by landing double top to move one leg away from victory. Baxter hit double eight to take the third leg but a seventh 180 followed by an accurate attempt at double top sealed a great win for the Shropshire ace.
Robert Thornton 3:1 Ian White
(3-2, 1-3, 3-2, 3-2
Robert Thornton booked a place in the last 32 of the 2012 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with a four-set triumph against Stoke's Ian White.
The Scotsman will now face Adrian Lewis next Thursday in a repeat of their clash at Alexandra Palace 12 months ago, when the Stoke ace defeated Thornton on his way to the title.
The victory also ended a miserable six months for Thornton, who reached the UK Open quarter-finals in June but was struck down by a bout of pneumonia in the summer. "It was a bit sketchy in places but overall I'm very happy with my performance," said Thornton. "Ian's so consistent and whenever I got a couple of legs away from him he was always there and I couldn't take my foot off the pedal because he's a battler. "I've been off for a while with pneumonia and it sidelined me for a while so it's good to get through the first round."
Both players held throw comfortably in the opening two legs of the match and that sequence continued as Thornton hit a clinical 101 finish to claim the third. White hit double four to win the fourth, but Thornton took the deciding leg to establish an early lead by hitting double 19 with his third dart.
White hit a maximum in the process of claiming the first leg of set two before both players in 180s in the next. Thornton was first to a finish, but wasted four chances at double nine to allow White to step in and hit double four and secure a break of throw. The third leg saw White miss a dart at double top for a 125 finish, which would have given him the set, and Thornton landed double 18 to steal the leg. White missed a second dart at tops to win the set in the fourth leg, but Thornton was off-target with four darts at doubles, and the Stoke ace hit double five with a pressure third dart to level the match.
Thornton hit double seven to win the opening leg of set three, but was guilty of missing three darts at doubles to take the second, which allowed White to level. The Scotsman hit a 13-dart finish to claim the third leg, but his opponent replied with one of his own to force a decider. Thornton had advantage of throw and a timely 180 allowed the number 31 seed to pull clear, and the leg was won in 13 darts as he led the match for the second time.
White made a good start to the fourth set by hitting double top to take the opening leg and an accurate attempt at double ten secured a break of throw. Thornton, though,hit a 12-darter to break-back and then hit double top to take the fourth leg. The Scotsman then produced some excellent scoring to leave 81 after nine darts thrown, and he returned to the oche to complete an 11-dart finish to seal the match in style.
Alan Tabern 3:1 Christian Perez
(3-1, 3-1, 1-3, 3-2) Alan Tabern survived a scare before defeating Philippines number one Christian Perez 3-1 in the first round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championships at Alexandra Palace.Tabern took a two-set lead before Perez - who had whitewashed Dietmar Burger in the preliminary round - won the third and had chances to take the match the full distance, before the left-hander came through to confirm a place in the last 32.
Tabern hit double eight to win the first leg after Perez was just off-target on double ten for a 140 checkout. The Philippines qualifier produced an excellent 13-dart finish to take the second leg before Tabern regained the lead by taking out 65 on double 16. Tabern, who missed six darts at doubles to reach the third round in last year's event, hit double ten in the fourth leg to establish an early lead.
Perez, who defeated Dietmar Burger in the preliminary round, hit a second maximum in the process of making a winning start to the second set. Tabern won the second with a two-dart 68 finish before taking the third with an excellent 130 checkout. The St Helens ace hit a maximum in the fourth leg and converted a 121 finish to double his lead and leave Perez with a mountain to climb.
Tabern continued his superb finishing at the start of the fourth with a 149 checkout before Perez stopped his opponent's run of winning legs by hitting double four with his third dart. The third leg saw Tabern miss two darts at double 16 and Perez hit tops to break throw, and the Philippine qualifier then hit double three in the next to claim the set.
Both players held throw in the opening two legs of the fourth set before Perez won the third on double four, after Tabern missed three chances to break. Tabern, a quarter-finalist in his first appearance at the World Championship in 2007, hit tops to win the fourth leg before Perez missed two darts at doubles to force a final set. Those errors proved to be costly for Perez as the St Helens man took out 122 on the bullseye to close out the match in dramatic fashion.
"I feel a little bit lucky and a little bit relieved," said Tabern. "I was on edge so I'm happy to get through. "If you're playing someone like Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld or James Wade you have different pressure and you can play your normal game, but sometimes there is more pressure when people think you have an easier draw. "It didn't turn out that way and Christian played well."